That apology, currently the highest-ranked for ‘Presidential apology’ searches on YouTube, seemed to be a bigger deal at the time; the woman scorned in that situation could become the next President of the U.S. and the ‘other woman’ there is essentially hiding in plain sight. Meanwhile, Bill Clinton’s popularity, years on, is significantly higher than it was immediately after he left office.

In short answer, they can … but it’s often about the message, the medium, and the consistency of the follow-through; those are going to be hard for any President in the current political climate, but probably moreso for Obama, who oftentimes can come off as ‘slick,’ which might pre-dispose people to be less trusting of any apology he issues.

It’s an interesting topic at the intersection of leadership notions and psychology studies, which means research-based universities should be having a field day with it. In the meantime, to bring this down on a lighter note, check out this video off the Obama apology for the Kamala Harris remarks: